So Kelly Osborne has come out as a misophone!

In a speech at a gala lunch for the charity Friendly House, where Kelly was awarded ‘2015 Woman of the Year’, she revealed:

“For years the sound of other people chewing, chomping, slurping and gurgling has made me feel really anxious and uptight”. She went on to say: “People told me I was crazy but now I have actually been diagnosed with a condition and it’s a real medical phobia called misophonia”. (Source Daily Mail)

Whatever you think of Kelly Osborne her recent revelation can only be a positive thing. It should raise awareness and, with a bit of luck, will hopefully encourage more much needed research and funding.

The only other celebrity figure, who I’m aware of, that has come out and announced “I have misophonia” is Kelly Rippa the actress, talk show host and television producer.

You can read about some more extremely talented, albeit deceased, misophones here.

So what does all this mean for the misophonia world?

The first thing to stress is that this doesn’t mean is that misophonia is solely the affliction of females named Kelly. I have done extensive research on this matter and can confirm that this is something that can effect people of all names and genders.

What it does mean is that we’ve got a bit more much needed exposure. My hope is that other people with misophonia, who didn’t know it had a name, will read Kelly’s story, nod sagely and think: “AH THANK GOODNESS, I’M GOING NOT MAD”.

It means that they can get clued up on the condition, connect with other misophones and hopefully improve their lives.

What we need at this point is for misophonia to get the same kind of attention that other sensory disorders have received and if we can get that from celebs speaking out, then great.

I look forward to the day when people stop calling this a “made up condition” or a bizarre attempt at “attention seeking” and we learn new and innovative ways to work with misophonia.

Keep it up Kellys.